Ditch pipe forming machine



A. F. BUTCHER DITCH PIPE FORMING MACHINE Aug. 29, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 6, 1947 INVENTOR H .Buzch ez' Mi ML ATTORNEYS Aug. 29, 1950 A. F. BUTCHER 2,520,199

DITCH PIPE FORMING MACHINE Filed Oct. 6, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2.

INVENTOR a H.E.Bufc;her

BY mi: 1101,4424

ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DITCH PIPE FORMING MACHINE Albert Floyd Butcher, Modesto, Calif.

Application October 6, 1947, Serial No. 778,173

4 Claims.

This invention is directed to, and it is an object to provide, a novel, power-actuated machine operative to form continuous in-place pipe in the bottom of a previously excavated ditch; the machine traveling in the latter.

Another object of the invention is to provide an in-place pipe forming machine which comprises, with a wheel-supported frame, a novel pipe form, and cement mix distributing rotor; the frame having an engine mounted thereon coupled in driving relation to said rotor.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an in-place pipe forming machine, as in the preceding paragraph, adapted for use in a pro-excavated ditch having a semi-circular bottom; the latter complementing a semi-circular top half form on the machine to complete the 360 or full-circle form for the pipe.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the type described wherein the rotor runs within said full-circle form comprising onehalf of the semi-circular ditch bottom, and there being means to feed cement mix to the rotor while it is in operation whereby the pipe is formed continuously.

A further object of the invention is to form a practical and reliable ditch pipe formin machine, and one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed,

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation illustrating the machine as in use. i

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine, as in use.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the machine as in use; the rotary back wall being partly broken away.

Referrin now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the machine, as indicated generally at i, i adapted to work in a previously excavated ditch, indicated generally at 2, which ditch has a bottom 3 which is semi-circular in a transverse plane. The ma chine, as will hereinafter appear in detail, is o perative to continuously form in-place concrete pipe in the ditch 2.

The machine l comprises a longitudinal main frame d supported, adjacent its forward end, by a pair of transversely spaced standards 5 fitted with wheels 6 below the main frame 4.

At its rear end the main frame 4 is fixed in 2 connection with a vertically disposed circular front wall 7; said front wall being stationary or non-rotary.

The lower half of the non-rotary front wall 1 is provided with a forwardly projecting, semicircular shoe 8 which runs on the semi-circular bottom 3 of the ditch in supporting relation to the rear end portion of the machine. The leading edge of the semi-circular shoe 8 is inturned as a lip 9 to prevent said shoe from digging in with advance of the implement.

Above the wheels 6 the main frame 4 carries an engine it which drives through a transmission 5 i to a longitudinal and rearwardly projecting drive shaft I2. Such drive shaft l2 extends through a central bearing i3 mounted on the non-rotary front wall 'I; the shaft projecting rearwardly beyond said bearing and there being fitted with a cement mix distributing rotor, indicated generally at M. This rotor i l will hereinafterbe described in detail.

In surrounding relation to the upper half of the rotor Hi there is a semi-circular top half form i5 which projects rearwardly from the periphery of the top half of the non-rotary front wall 1; said semi-circular form i5 being concentric to, but spaced outwardly from, the rotor 14 a distance predetermined as the thickness of the pipe to be formed, Also, the semi-circular top half form :5 is of substantially the same diameter as the Semi-circular bottom 3 of the ditch 2, and. complements said bottom to form therewith a 360 or full-circle form.

The rotor i 4 comprises, in fixed relation on the rearward projecting portion of the shaft I 2, a hub is which supports a rotary back wall H in adjacent but spaced, facing relation to the stationary front wall I.

A plurality of arcuate blades are secured to the rotary back wall at the front and radiate in circumferentially spaced relation from the central portion of said back wall; said blades being disposed with the convex side extendin in the direction of rotation of the rotor i l. The blades are of a radial extent substantially equal to the diameter of the back wall H, and are of a width substantially spanning the space between the walls ii and 'i but running clear of the latter.

At its periphery the rotary back wall I! includes an annular, rearwardly and outwardly inclined or beveled, rotary trowel I9, while the latter carries at its rear edge another rotary trowel 2B which is relatively narrow and parallel to the rotor axis, The trowel 2%! is the finish trowel and works in spaced parallel relation to 3 the rear end portion of the top half form l5, this spacing equalin the predetermined thickness of the pipe to be formed.

With the above structure, there is a cement mix distributing chamber 2i formed between the non-rotary front wall I and the rotary back wall I! and in which chamber the blades [8 travel, and the cement mix is fed into said chamber 2| by a feed port 23 through wall 1 between a hopper 22 and chamber 2|.

In operation of the above described ditch pipe forming machine, the machine is disposed in the ditch 2 in the manner illustrated. Thereafter, with the rotor l4 driven or rotating, a relatively dry mix of fast drying cement is delivered from the hopper 22 into the chamber 2!, whence such mix is distributed partially by the blades 18, rotor it against and about the 360 form comprising the semi-circular bottom 3 of the ditch and the complementary semi-circular top half form I, 5.

As the cement mix is so distributed by the rotor blades, it is compacted and worked first by the bevel trowel l9 and then by the finish trowel 2G to form an in-piace pipe 2 which pipe is made continuously with advance of the machine. The machine may advance by reason of the rotation of the rotor i and the pressure of the mix against the front wall i, or said machine may be advanced by independent power mechanism, as preferred.

The mix as fed to and worked by the machine is such that as the machine advances, the pipe holds its form in the ditch, without tendency to fracture or collapse.

The described machine provides a very effective, practical, and reliable device for the construction of in-place concrete pipe in a previously excavated ditch; the device while relatively simple in its structure being very effective in its operation, making possible the placement of pipe in a ditch much faster and more economically than otherwise.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as will substantially fulfill the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device,

still in practice such deviations from such deb tail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as delined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A ditch pipe forming machine comprising a supporting frame, wheels supporting the forward end of the frame from the ground, an annular wall fixed on the rear end of the frame, a semi-cylindrical supporting shoe about the lower periphery of the wall and projecting forwardly therefrom, a power unit on the frame, such power unit including a drive shaft projecting through and journaled in the wall, a rotary wall on the free end of the drive shaft, such rotary wall being spaced from the fixed wall to form a cement mix receiving chamber between the two, means to feed a cement mix into said chamber, the diameter of the rotary wall being less than that of the fixed wall, arcuate distributing blades fixed edgewise on the inner face of the rotary wall with the convex faces thereof extending in the direction of travel of the rotary wall, such blades radiating outwardly from the axis of the rotary Wall to substantially the outer periphery of the latter and being of a width to substantially span the space between the two walls, a semi-cylindrical form projecting inwardly from the upper portion of the outer periphery of the fixed wall in overhanging relation to the rotary wall, and a trowel element projecting rearwardly from the periphery of the rotary wall and in spaced relation to the inner face of said form.

2. An in-place pipe forming machine adapted to work in a ditch having a substantially semicylindrical bottom, such machine comprising a mobile frame supported for movement in and along the ditch, a front plate on the frame disposed transversely of the ditch, the lower edge of the front plate conforming to the semi-cylindrical bottom of the ditch, a substantially semicical half form connected with and projecting rearwardly from the upper edge of the -ront plate, the lower edges of the half form merg- 'ng with the upper portion of the curved ditch ottom, a rear plate spaced from the front plate, .uch rear plate being of a lesser diameter than hat of the front plate and such rear plate being isposed within the space defined by the ditch zottom and the half form, a substantially cylindrical trowel element fixed to the peripheral edge of the rear wall and projecting rearwardly therefrom, the ditch bottom and half form, the front wall, and the trowel defining a mold for the pipe wall, means to discharge a concrete mix into the space between the front and rear walls, and means in said space operative to move the mix radially out into the mold.

3. 1 machine as in claim 2 in which said last named means consists of a plurality of arcuate blades set edgewise between the front and rear walls, power means on the frame and operatively connected with said blade to rotate the latter, the convex sides of the blades extending in the direction of rotation thereof.

4. A machine as in claim 3 in which the blades are fixed to the rear wall whereby said wall and the trowel will rotate with the blades.

ALBERT FLOYD BUTCHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 220,757 Hamilton et a1. Oct. 21, 1879, 1,075,877 Turner Oct. 14, 1913 1,146,477 Cole et a1. July 13, 1915 1,309,878 Carr July 15, 1919 1,887,244 Murray Nov. 8, 1932 2,123,243 Janert July 12, 1938 2,406,025 Moor Aug. 20, 1.946 

